An official website of the United States government.

This is not the current EPA website. To navigate to the current EPA website, please go to www.epa.gov. This website is historical material reflecting the EPA website as it existed on January 19, 2021. This website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work. More information »

Ambient Monitoring Technology Information Center (AMTIC)

Compendium of Methods for the Determination of Inorganic Compounds in Ambient Air

This page contains links to EPA's Compendium of Methods for the Determination of Inorganic Compounds in Ambient Air. This Compendium contains a set of 17 methods (in 5 categories) presented in a standardized format, with a variety of applicable sampling methods and various analytical techniques for specific classes of inorganic pollutants, as appropriate to their ambient levels and potential interferences. EPA has developed this compendium of methods to assist Federal, State, and local regulatory personnel in developing and maintaining necessary expertise and up-to-date monitoring technology for characterizing inorganic pollutants in the ambient air.

You may need a PDF reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA’s About PDF page to learn more.
  • Compendium of Methods for the Determination of Inorganic Compounds in Ambient Air (PDF)(21 pp, 330 K, June 1999)
    Cover page, Foreword, Table of Contents, Method Summaries, and Project Summary
  • Compendium of Methods for the Determination of Inorganic Compounds in Ambient Air - Addendum (PDF)(1 pg, 21 K, September, 1999)
    Addendum
  • Method IO-1 (PDF)(9 pp, 88 K, June, 1999)
    Overview of Continuous Measurements of PM10 Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) In Ambient Air
  • Method IO-1.1 (PDF)(33 pp, 432 K, June, 1999)
    Determination of PM10 in Ambient Air Using the Andersen Continuous Beta Attenuation Monitor
  • Method IO-1.2 (PDF)(39 pp, 504 K, June, 1999)
    Determination of PM10 in Ambient Air Using the Thermo Environmental Instruments (formerly Wedding) Continuous Beta Attenuation Monitor
  • Method IO-1.3 (PDF)(47 pp, 857 K, June, 1999)
    Determination of PM10 in Ambient Air Using a Continuous Rupprecht and Patashnick (R&P) TEOM® Particle Monitor
  • Method IO-2 (PDF)(13 pp, 258 K, June, 1999)
    Overview of Integrated Sampling of Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) in Ambient Air
  • Method IO-2.1 (PDF)(78 pp, 1 MB, June, 1999)
    Sampling of Ambient Air for Total Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) and PM10 Using High Volume (HV) Sampler
  • Method IO-2.2 (PDF)(35 pp, 543 K, June, 1999)
    Sampling of Ambient Air for PM10 Using an Andersen Dichotomous Sampler
  • Method IO-2.3 (PDF)(40 pp, 741 K, June, 1999)
    Sampling of Ambient Air for PM10 Concentration Using the Rupprecht and Patashnick (R&P) Low Volume Partisol® Sampler
  • Method IO-2.4 (PDF)(6 pp, 63 K, June, 1999)
    Calculating Standard Volume
  • Method IO-3 (PDF)(12 pp, 355 K, June, 1999)
    Overview of Chemical Species Analysis of Filter-collected Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM)
  • Method IO-3.1 (PDF)(30 pp, 1 MB, June, 1999)
    Selection, Preparation and Extraction of Filter Material
  • Method IO-3.2 (PDF)(27 pp, 465 K, June, 1999)
    Determination of Metals in Ambient Particulate Matter Using Atomic Absorption (AA) Spectroscopy
  • Method IO-3.3 (PDF)(36 pp, 985 K, June, 1999)
    Determination of Metals in Ambient Particulate Matter Using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) Spectroscopy
  • Method IO-3.4 (PDF)(30 pp, 777 K, June, 1999)
    Determination of Metals in Ambient Particulate Matter Using Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) Spectroscopy
  • Method IO-3.5 (PDF)(35 pp, 833 K, June, 1999)
    Determination of Metals in Ambient Particulate Matter Using Inductively Coupled Plasma/Mass Spectrometry (ICP/MS)
  • Method IO-3.6 (PDF)(20 pp, 252 K, June, 1999)
    Determination of Metals in Ambient Particulate Matter Using Proton Induced X-Ray Emission (PIXE) Spectroscopy
  • Method IO-3.7 (PDF)(48 pp, 2 MB, June, 1999)
    Determination of Metals in Ambient Particulate Matter Using Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) Gamma Spectrometry
  • Method IO-4 (PDF)(5 pp, 47 K, June, 1999)
    Overview of Determination of Reactive Acidic and Basic Gases and Strong Acidity of Atmospheric Fine Particles in Ambien Air Using the Annular Denuder Technology
  • Method IO-4.1 (PDF)(44 pp, 789 K, June, 1999)
    Determination of the Strong Acidity of Atmospheric Fine-Particles (<2.5 µm)
  • Method IO-4.2 (PDF)(68 pp, 1 MB, June, 1999)
    Determination of Reactive Acidic and Basic Gases and Strong Acidity of Atmospheric Fine Particles (<2.5µm) in Ambient Air
  • Method IO-5 (PDF)(40 pp, 624 K, June, 1999)
    Sampling and Analysis for Vapor and Particle Phase Mercury in Ambient Air Utilizing Cold Vapor Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry (CVAFS)